To Conquer Oneself
by inkstainedpinky
Summary: Post-3x14.  Quinn said, "You can't change your past, but you can let go and start your future." But sometimes letting go and starting your future means conquering yourself past and present.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters represented in this fiction. They are the property of FOX and Ryan Murphy, et al.

**Summary**: Post-3x14. Quinn said, "You can't change your past, but you can let go and start your future." But sometimes letting go and starting your future means conquering yourself past and present.

**Rating:** T for serious themes and language.

**Pairing:** Quinn/Rachel

_Okay, so I know this isn't a chapter of Duckling, but since watching the winter finale, I couldn't get this fic out of my head. I'm sure there are dozens of post-finale fics floating out there, and I don't know if it's been done before, and even if it has, I hope this is a fresh take on what happens after we fade to black. Hope you like it!_

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><p><strong>TO CONQUER ONESELF<strong>

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><p>They said that during times of severe physical trauma, the shock to the system causes a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body. This is most commonly known in casual parlance as an out-of-body experience.<p>

Quinn Fabray took in her current situation. She watched as the gray truck blew through the stop sign and slammed into the side of her little red Beetle. The scene flashed. Everyone was moving at blinding speed around her still body. She was still amidst the chaos. The paramedics loaded her into the back of the ambulence and roared away, lights and sirens cutting through the white noise.

The scene flashed again. This time, she was on an operating table as doctors worked to save her life. Her vision grayed as they lost her for a second, waiting for the tremor to appear in the flatline; a quick shock to the heart alleviated that – she definitely felt that one. It seemed like a dream, an awful, crazy, surreal dream. And as she looked down at her body bundled up in the hospital bed, lying there unconscious – alive but unconscious – yes, it was certainly an out-of-body experience.

This sucked.

As she sat down…wherever she was…and watched herself in her unconscious state, she was comforted by the fact that a lot of people stopped by to visit her. Everyone from glee – minus Finn; that was curious – her Cheerios teammates, her teachers, her friends from her various other activities, all of them popped in from time to time as her mother hovered day after day, taking short breaks for her shift at work. Even her father stopped by – before he was wrestled out of the building by the hospital security staff. But there was one constant presence. Since she had been lying in that hospital bed, Rachel Berry had never left Quinn's side.

Quinn frowned, propping her chin on her palm. Figures. Things were finally going right in her life…and she gets T-boned by a pickup who couldn't obey stupid traffic laws. Alright, yes, it was partially her fault for texting while driving, but _still_. It was like one of those television writers who loved to torture a certain character – a la Kenny on _Southpark_ or Logan from _Veronica Mars_ – were penning a script to her life.

_Oh, Quinn's happy? _

_It's been too long since she's been miserable!_

_SMASH!_

Figures…

"Don't frown like that. You'll get worry lines around your mouth and heaven knows we can't afford that."

Quinn rotated to the voice, and her eyes widened as she stared at…herself. Clambering to her feet, she faced the new presence. This Quinn strode to her, hands perched authoritatively on her hips, the familiar red pleated skirt swirling around legs that ended in stark white cheerleading shoes. Long blonde hair was pulled tight into an immaculate ponytail, and a scowl adorned the pretty features. Quinn frowned, observing herself in this state. Did she really look that constipated when she was like that?

"Cat got your tongue, Quinn?" The other Quinn snipped, the Eyebrow of Infinite Snark inching upward. "String words together. Dumbfounded is not a good look for us."

Quinn reached out, hesitatingly poking the shoulder in front of her. She leaped back in surprise when she was met with solid flesh, cradling her hand to her chest as though the touch had burned. "W-what is this?"

"C'mon, even in awkward stages of perceived indifference we were still intelligent."

A stream of smoke preceded the next voice, and another version of herself sidled up to the pair. Darkly-lined eyes peered out from the unruly pink strands meandering into the eyesight of hazel eyes. Absently, Skank!Quinn reached behind herself to scratch at her lower back where Quinn knew the ill-advised, ironic tattoo of Ryan Seacrest sat – one that she had expertly covered up with a two doves flying through the air surrounded by a quote from Plato:

_To conquer oneself is the best and noblest victory; to be vanquished by one's own nature is the worst and most ignoble defeat_

She had remembered reading it somewhere, and it had stuck with her. Plus, her mom liked the cover-up infinitely more than the original art adorning her lower back.

Again, Quinn reached out, poking the Skank version of herself. She squeaked. This one was solid too. She supposed that was a good sign. At least she wasn't dead. That was a morbid thought…no pun intended.

Skank!Quinn was not amused, blowing a thin stream of smoke in Quinn's direction. "We're you," she edified.

"I see that," Quinn answered, eyes flicking between her two selves. "But what is me…you…whatever…doing here?"

Skank!Quinn took one final drag of her cigarette before carelessly flicking it away, much to the relief of the other Quinns. "Think of us as…Scrooge's Ghosts of Christmas here to guide you to the right path."

"Except you aren't damned to eternal hell if you don't listen to us," Cheerio!Quinn interjected.

Skank!Quinn shrugged, amending the statement. "Well, it might be like a personal sort of hell."

Cheerio!Quinn nodded her agreement. "But it's not like a literal hell."

Quinn's eyes bounced back and forth between the Quinns. "But if you guys are the ghosts from _A Christmas Carol_, isn't there supposed to be three of you?"

The two Quinns merely smirked, one eyebrow raised. It was slightly disconcerting to see her signature look reflected back at her from two very different faces, but she shook that off as sound filled the space she was in. It was singing, and Quinn could recognize that voice from a mile away…

_Keep holding on  
><em>_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through  
><em>_Just stay strong  
><em>_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_

_There's nothing you could say, nothing you could do  
><em>_There's no other way when it comes to the truth  
><em>_So keep holding on  
><em>_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

She felt her feet taking her to where a pool-like substance shimmered, showing her the goings on of the world below. Rachel was in her normal spot at her bedside, and she was singing. Quinn sank to her knees beside the scene, wishing she could reach out and comfort Rachel.

"Once again, we're subjected to her persistence," Skank!Quinn quipped, breaking the silence.

"Annoying as hell," Cheerio!Quinn grumbled. "She's still sort of unlikeable, and I _still_ feel like punching her every time she opens her mouth."

Skank!Quinn smirked. "Sure, Captain Crunch," she drawled. "Keep telling yourself that."

Great, Quinn scoffed as she looked between the versions of herself, standing to face them. Not only were there multiple personas before her, but they were squabbling with each other too.

"Okay, I get that you guys are supposed to 'guide me to the right path' or whatever, but what does that mean?"

Cheerio!Quinn stepped forward, cool hazel eyes glinting with a hard sheen. "Well, we're obviously you in stages of your life." She glanced down sardonically at the red, white, and black uniform adorning her leanly muscular frame. "Insulting our intelligence would be slightly counterintuitive, but it seems you're not working at a full mental capacity right now."

Quinn threw her hands up. "Geeze, was I really that much of a bitch? Even if you weren't insulting my intelligence, I feel like you were still insulting _me_."

Skank!Quinn smirked. "Good thing we're beyond that, aren't we?"

"Sure," Quinn scoffed, glancing at her most recent reincarnation. "We went past that to a chain-smoking punk who launched the worst baby snatching scheme in history." She gestured to the cigarette Skank!Quinn carelessly flung away. "If I get some sort of cancer from those months of obvious mental incapacity, I am going to be seriously pissed."

"You do remember you _chose_ to present yourself these ways, right?" Cheerio!Quinn drawled.

Quinn merely glowered, unable to find an adequate argument for that statement.

Skank!Quinn rolled her eyes. "Anyway, we are supposed to guide you to the light – so to speak – by helping you conquer yourself. Corny and sappy, yes. Personally, I couldn't give two shits so…"

Cheerio!Quinn snorted. "Sure, Punky Brewster, keep telling yourself that," she mocked the Skank's earlier words.

Skank!Quinn merely flipped her off.

Turning away from her two squabbling selves, Quinn gazed down at the scene before her. "I don't get it," Quinn murmured. "All I see is myself…and Rachel."

Skank!Quinn smirked. "Funny how everything seems to come back to her, isn't it?"

Quinn's brow furrowed. "What?"

"Believe it or not, Rachel Berry has had quite the significant impact on our life," Skank!Quinn intoned.

Quinn absorbed that for a moment. "Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, when I saw her the first time, I honed in on her as my primary target…I never really figured out what made me do that. But that led to Miss Sylvester appointing me captain. She said someone so ruthless and vindictive should lead a team of champions to a ruthless and vindictive glory."

"Don't forget spilling the beans of Beth's real paternity," Cheerio!Quinn supplied.

"Or talking us out of that stupid baby-snatching plan," Skank!Quinn added.

"I get it," Quinn snapped. "Rachel has always been there for me. But what about her is supposed to make me conquer myself? What the hell does that even mean?"

"Maybe conquering yourself means finally accepting what she means to you." This voice was softer, gentler, and there was a slight waver of insecurity. Her belly was swollen with the unborn child residing there. A light blue babydoll dress fit around her pregnant stomach beneath a white cardigan. She walked forward, long blonde hair swaying around her shoulders where it was secure under a white headband. Her expression didn't reflect Cheerio!Quinn's cold power or Skank!Quinn's lazy apathy, rather it was a serene melancholy, a resigned acceptance to her fate.

"You finally understand why you're doing the things you do and why you've done things in the past."

"In the past, I've hated Rachel," Quinn countered.

"You know what they say," Tubbers!Quinn reminded her. "There's a thin line between love and hate."

"_Love_?" Quinn spluttered. "I don't love Rachel."

Again, the other Quinns arched an unbelieving eyebrow. Quinn threw her arms up in the air. She really had to stop doing that. She could see how infuriating it really was. Who know so much could be conveyed in a single eyebrow?

"I don't!" she insisted. "I mean, yes, now we're friends, very close friends, but I don't love her."

"You can't lie to us," Tubbers!Quinn reminded her gently. "We're you. We know exactly what you meant even if you didn't at the time."

The group was interrupted again by a devastated sob coming from where the rest of the world continued on.

_"Quinn…Quinn, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have told you to hurry. I shouldn't have been texting you. Please forgive me. I need you here with me, Quinn…I'm so sorry."_

Rachel was pleading, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched Quinn's hand, desperate words flowing from her mouth.

A pang of guilt bashed against Quinn's heart as she witnessed Rachel break down in a way she never had before. Quinn wrapped her arms around herself, wanting more than anything to jump down into her body to reassure Rachel.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Tubbers!Quinn murmured. "Even with all the stuff she's been through, she still has it in her heart to forgive us."

Cheerio!Quinn grumbled under her breath. "Why else has she kept at us even when we very rudely – if not justifiably – tell her to go away?"

Quinn looked to her three incarnations, remembering how Rachel helped her during each point. "Every time, she's always been there to offer her help."

"And now you're doing the same," Skank!Quinn interjected. "Even when you vehemently oppose her choice."

"Well, yeah," Quinn defended. "She deserves better than Finn Hudson. I duped the idiot into thinking he could get me pregnant in a hot tub without sexual contact. She deserves…"

Quinn trailed off as the realization smacked her with more force than that gray pickup had. She looked to her three incarnations, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. Her lips flapped in an effort to vocalize her thoughts, but all that escaped was a strangled squeak.

"Finally," Cheerio!Quinn sneered. "A friggin' light bulb. And we got into Yale with those brains? Was the admissions board high?"

"I _am_ in love with Rachel?" It was more a question than a statement.

"You know she's different," Tubbers!Quinn voiced the rampant thoughts, her hands cradling her stomach.

"We've consistently treated her like shit," Cheerio!Quinn began. "Yet no matter how many times we've beat her down or refused her help, she's been there and she's liked all of us."

"All parts," Skank!Quinn added.

Tubbers!Quinn stepped forward, laying a hand gently on Quinn's forearm. "And now here you are, another completely different version of yourself, and this is the version of us that she likes best."

"Don't you there's a reason you couldn't get that quote out of your head?" Skank!Quinn posed. "Enough that you inked it into your body permanently, thus covering up and awesomely ironic and completely badass Ryan Seacrest tattoo? It's because you've conquered yourself and you realize the value of not letting yourself stand in your way."

"You said it yourself," Tubbers!Quinn added, "'I wasted so much time hating myself for the stupid mistakes that I made, but, the truth is, is that without all of those, I never would've dreamed this to be my future. I was the only one standing in the way of myself.'"

"You can't change your past but you can let go and start your future," Quinn murmured the last part of her little spiel.

"There was something wrong with all of us," Cheerio!Quinn began. "I was a bitch hiding behind a cheerleading uniform and an elitist mindset."

Tubbers!Quinn cradled her stomach mournfully. "I slept with my boyfriend's best friend."

"I'm badass," Skank!Quinn declared haughtily, arms crossed and a hip popped in defiance. At the sardonic looks from her other two counterparts, she deflated. "Fine. I was so lost, I thought reinventing myself was the only way to find myself."

"But you," Tubbers!Quinn stepped forward. "You're the product of all this struggle. You've battled all of us and won in the end. You've found a way to be happy, but you know there's something missing. There's one thing you have to conquer within yourself to truly be happy."

"Maybe it's time you were honest with yourself," Cheerio!Quinn said. "Stop being such a little bitch and admit it. You think this is hard? Try being subjected to a borderline-sadistic psychopath who pushes you to your very physical and mental limit all while sucking out your soul to turn you into a mindless minion to do her equally sadistic and psychopathic behavior all for the sake of popularity and prestige. That's hard."

Quinn's eyes widened. "I can't believe you just Sue Sylvester-ed me."

Skank!Quinn scoffed. "Dude, it's your own subconscious. Technically, you just Sue Sylvester-ed yourself."

"So _honestly_," Cheerio!Quinn challenged. "Why were you so opposed to this wedding even if it made her happy?"

"Because I don't want her to marry Finn," Quinn answered. "I don't want to bring him into her future. He doesn't belong there…"

"But you do," the Quinns chorused.

Quinn flushed. "Well, yeah. He's the poster boy for being stuck in Lima. Somewhere like New York would completely overwhelm him and play on every one of his abundant insecurities that there's no doubt he would implode their relationship. But I'm getting out of Lima," she returned hotly. "I'm going out into the world; I've got a future ahead of me. I'm not going to be on the sidelines simply cheering for her, I'll be out doing my own thing so that we can share in our successes together. I wouldn't tie her down, I'd set her free! I'd let her flourish and shine as bright as the Broadway lights she wants to be amongst."

Skank!Quinn smirked. "Shouldn't you be telling _her_ that?"

"Would if I could." Quinn grumbled. Not for the first time, she took in her surroundings. "Seems as though I'm kind of indisposed at the moment, though."

"Really?" Skank!Quinn asked.

Quinn thought about it for a moment. They did say facing your mortality made one do pretty insane things…

"Yeah," she answered truthfully. "I would."

A glance passed through the three Quinns. They seemed to be conversing silently. Finally, they reached some sort of consensus, and Cheerio!Quinn stepped forward.

"Sorry," was all she said.

Quinn's brow furrowed as she looked at…herself in confusion. "For what?"

Cheerio!Quinn merely smirked. Before Quinn could react, Cheerio!Quinn reared back, her right fist flying forward. A shock of pain and everything went white.

xxx-xxx-xxx

It seemed to be almost ironic. Maybe a poetic sort of irony, if one was partial to that sort of drama. For all the tears Rachel Berry shed in the past, no one would have ever imagined that they would be for Quinn Fabray to finally return to the conscious world. Yet there was where she was, day in and day out, without pause. She felt as though this was all her fault. If Finn hadn't rushed her, if she hadn't sent that last text, Quinn wouldn't be here.

She glanced up as she felt a minute shift of the bed. Her eyes snapped to the bruised, battered face before her, searching for any sign that the blonde had moved. Sure enough, moments later, the eyelids fluttered, and she was treated to the beautiful hazel orbs that had haunted her since she had gotten news of Quinn's accident.

"Quinn!"

Parched lips parted and a raspy sound was emitted, forming two unsteady words, "S-so beautiful."

Rachel was thrown. Of all the first things she would have imagined Quinn would utter upon regaining consciousness, that certainly wasn't it. "Quinn…" she breathed out.

The blonde was groggy, slightly unfocused, but she was most definitely awake. A corner of her mouth quirked up in a smile as her bleary, beautiful hazel eyes started to clear up as she became more oriented to her surroundings.

"Rachel?"

"Quinn, I'll be right back," Rachel promised. She leaned down, brushing her lips against Quinn's cheek before bolting out of the room to alert the nurses to Quinn's return to consciousness. She stepped back as some of the medical staff came in to take Quinn's vitals. They updated the blonde on her condition, listing her various injuries, including a fractured pelvis that would confine her to a wheelchair until the bones had healed. As the final member of the medical staff filtered out, Quinn glanced at Rachel as the little brunette settled into her seat beside the blonde's bed.

"I guess I missed the wedding…" Quinn looked sheepishly at the little brunette. "I was on the way."

Rachel burst into tears, dipping her head down. "Oh, Quinn…I'm so so-sorry. If I hadn't let Finn rush me, I would have never–"

Quinn reached out, placing a hand on Rachel's. "It's alright, Rachel. I should have been paying better attention." She reached over with that same hand, wiping the tears that strayed down Rachel's eyes. "I'm okay, don't cry."

Rachel shot out a shaky smile. "I can't help it. We came so close to losing you."

Quinn drew in a deep breath, but the pull of sleep was too great. She realized just how exhausted she really was. Rachel saw her struggling and patted her hand.

"Sleep, Quinn. We'll talk more later. I'll be here when you wake up."

With that reassurance, Quinn allowed herself to relax, succumbing to her exhaustion.

xxx-xxx-xxx

As word got out that Quinn was awake, the blonde found her room flooded with friends and well-wishers stopping by to offer kind words. They came bearing assorted gifts ranging from the thoughtful and sweet, to the slightly insipid, to the humorous. Quinn had never felt so appreciated in her life. Finally, the steady stream of visitors ebbed until she was left with just Rachel.

Quinn smiled as the brunette plopped into the chair she had occupied steadily. "Hi."

Rachel beamed that bright Gold Star Smile as she reached out to hold Quinn's hand. "Hi."

Quinn's eyes dropped down to the hands clutching hers. She noticed there was something different. More specifically, a glaring absence on Rachel's left ring finger.

"You're not wearing his ring."

Rachel shook her head. "Just as we were about to head in, Miss Sylvester came in and told us what happened. She said you were in surgery. I wanted to go straight to the hospital, but Finn wanted to push forward with the wedding. He said that we could go to the hospital right after. Apparently the county courthouse runs on a very tight schedule." Rachel shrugged helplessly. "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't get married knowing you were on an operating table fighting for your life and the last thing that you said to me was that you were my friend and you supported me."

"If I knew all it took was a car accident to bring you to your senses, I should have tried that earlier," Quinn quipped thoughtlessly.

As Rachel's face blanched and those big, brown doe eyes filled with tears, Quinn winced. Maybe not the best time to remind her of that…

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Too soon?"

Rachel glared. "You think?"

Quinn cleared her throat awkwardly. "So what happened after that?"

Rachel shrugged. "He tried to push me into the wedding and gave me an ultimatum. 'Now or never,' he kept repeating."

"Now or never," Quinn echoed. "We're in high school and getting married right at that very second requires a now or never?"

"Yeah," Rachel breathed out reluctantly. "He just made me so mad. I guess I gained some perspective. It was like the ultimate epiphany. All those things going around us, and all we could think about was our wedding. David nearly lost his life and we used it as a vehicle to nearly make the biggest mistakes of our lives. You were in surgery fighting to live, and it's 'now or never' that we get married."

Quinn quirked a small smirk. "Would this be a bad time to say I told you so?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Because I'm so relived that you are acting in a conscious, coherent capacity, I do believe I will excuse your facetious statement for now."

Quinn sighed. "Rachel, I recently came to the realization that I care for you. We're friends. I knew that getting married to Finn would only stifle your dreams. Face it," Quinn challenged. "You were settling."

Rachel exhaled shakily. "You're right," she whispered. "I was. I was so afraid that I wasn't going to get into NYADA that I clung to the only thing I thought would alleviate the disappointment. Then the letter came…"

Quinn nodded her understanding. Rachel didn't have to say anything else.

"I guess, in choosing not to go through with the wedding, essentially, I chose you," Rachel answered. "He wasn't happy about it. He said that if I left that it would be over between us." She shrugged again. "All that I could think about was wanting you by my side if I ever took that step. I loved Finn, but between you and David, I realized that yes, life was too short, but even more reason to go after what you really wanted. What I had been dreaming about since I was a child was Broadway and stardom, not being married to Finn."

Quinn arched an eyebrow. "So...you're not planning on getting married anytime soon?"

Rachel scoffed. "Yeah. I told him that we didn't need to be married to show that we loved one another. To do so when neither of us has significant financial stability or independence is simply ludicrous now that I think about it. It's a wonderful thought to believe it really is as simple as getting married and living happily ever after, but I'm about to chase a dream that is anything but a fairytale. I'm going to be told that I'm not good enough or not pretty enough or not right for what they're looking for. That's the reality. I guess it was time I started living in it."

"I'm guessing he wasn't happy about that," Quinn mused.

"Of course not," Rachel responded. "He threatened to break up with me if I left. He said there wouldn't be a second chance. That this was it." Rachel frowned. "I thought it showed a rather callous disregard to your life if he placed our wedding above it in importance. If he wasn't mature enough to see how important having you there with me was, he certainly couldn't have been mature enough to conduct himself in a marriage."

"Pretty extensive thoughts preceding a diva storm out," Quinn teased.

Rachel chuckled. "Maybe it was just a bunch of things building up over the years."

"So what's the plan now?" Quinn ventured.

"Concentrate on NYADA and the future," Rachel answered firmly. "I have a dream, and it's time I return my devotion to it. I really need to prioritize the types of influences I need in my life if my future is going to be as star-studded as I believe it will be."

"And…am I featured in this star-studded future?"

Rachel beamed. "You, my dear, are right there with me, sharing in my spoils and allowing me to share in your own."

Quinn breathed out. "You really think I'll be there with you?"

"I have no doubt," Rachel promised. "You and I are going to be lifelong friends, I mean it."

This was the moment, Quinn knew it in the very soul of her being. She swore she would tell Rachel how she felt. She could hear the three Quinns like an angel and two devils perched on her shoulders.

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><p><em>Cowboy up, you pussy. You think this is hard? You lived through years of Sylvester torture. That's hard!<em>

_Be a badass and own your feelings…you know if you cared enough to have feelings._

_Speak from your heart. The heart that was big enough to give Beth the best life possible._

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><p>"And more…you know, if you'll have me."<p>

Rachel did a double-take. There was no way she could have heard what she thought she did. "More?"

Quinn bit her lip. "Just...hear me out."

Rachel found herself rendered slightly speechless and only nodded shortly.

Quinn mustered up her courage. "When I was unconscious, I had this crazy dream that past incarnations came to me to guide me into conquering the final part of myself that stood in the way of my happiness. They showed me you sitting here at my bedside. You were singing to me. It was that song you sang to me when I first found out I was pregnant." Quinn drew in another deep breath. "The final part of me I had to conquer was my feelings for you. I care about you, Rachel. More than I can possibly articulate. I could possibly, you know…love you."

"You love me?" Rachel echoed. "How?"

"I just told you that I was visited by my less morbid versions of the Three Ghosts of Christmas and that's what you fixate on."

However, Rachel was not to be deterred. "Quinn…"

"Sorry." Quinn lofted her gaze to the ceiling. "I guess all those times was me trying to push away the feelings. You know…like David did…like any schoolyard bully with a crush did when we were kids." She pointed a finger at herself. "Christian, remember. I've been raised with the understanding that homosexuals are condemned to the fiery pits of hell."

"And yet here you are," Rachel mused. "Confessing your love for me."

"Well, yeah," Quinn mumbled. "Not like I really have anything to lose..."

"On the contrary," Rachel corrected. "In matters of the heart, one has everything to lose." She reached out, grasping Quinn's hand. "And everything to gain as well." She raised the pale hand to her lips, kissing the cut and bruised knuckles. "I've seen all the incarnations of you as well, Quinn. Each of them had their struggles, but you've prevailed every time until what was left was the you I see now, and I like this you. This confident, vivacious, at peace you with nothing but optimism for the future."

"So…?"

Rachel leaned in, pressing her lips to Quinn's in a gentle kiss. She didn't press too hard, mindful of Quinn's injuries, but the effect was instantaneous. Unable to resist, Rachel skated more kisses along Quinn's cheeks and jaws. As she pulled away, she was met with wide, hazel eyes.

Rachel smiled softly. "Perhaps it's too early for us to jump into something, Quinn. I did almost get married."

Quinn smiled. Even with the cuts and bruises marring her face, she looked as beautiful as ever. "I'm okay with that," she answered. "I'll wait." Quinn beamed confidently. "It'll give me time to sweep you off your feet. I'll woo you in ways no one ever has. I'm already leaps and bounds ahead of Finn."

Rachel cocked a teasing eyebrow. "Really? How?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Well, for one thing, I'll never give you a dead pig for Christmas."

"That seems as though it would be a self-indulgent gift since it would be eventually turned into that bacon you love so much," Rachel mused.

Quinn bit her lip. "I'd…give up bacon for you." She sounded as though the very thought gave her more pain than she was currently experiencing.

"You really do love me," Rachel commented with a smirk.

Quinn shrugged helplessly. "I know we have a long way to go, but if you believe anything I'm telling you, please believe that."

Rachel smiled, nodding her answer. "What happened to dragging an anchor from your past into the bright lights of your future?"

"Anchors weigh you down," Quinn explained. "Gold stars fly high up in the sky."

Rachel merely beamed brightly.

_And there you go! Now that it's out of my head, back to Duckling! I hope you guys liked it. Please feel free to let me know what you think! Chapter 10 of Duckling is almost done, I swear. Once again, my more anal sides are coming out to play. _

_Oh, and I've also started a Tumblr with the same handle at the behest of one of my Twitter followers. You can also contact me there. Until next time!_

_*ISP_


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